October 2008
1 post
Waiting for the real photographer
Me, female, 24: I am booked by your company to take photos of the interior of your store.
Woman: Well yea, but you really don't need to. You see we have no time for this yet?
Me: My plane is not leaving until later tomorrow, I can drop by when you think everything is ready.
Woman: Didn't you already take enough pictures?
Me: Not of the finished place, obviously. I came from the other side of the country for this. You can imagine this is not just some playing around for me, right?
Woman: We already have a photographer for the store.
Me: Booked by your company? Are you sure that is not me? Sounds like my job.
Woman: Someone will take photos of our opening party later tomorrow. He is also going to photograph the store.
Me: I think taking pictures of the party is something else than capturing just the architecture. I did all the coordination with the layouters in Hamburg, the people in Darmstadt and Bonn. They know I am taking these photographs.
Woman: But he will do it. He is a real photographer, you know, a real one. He will come later today.
Me, patiently waiting until this woman has finished her sentence: I find it funny whenever someone starts talking about real photographers. Does that mean he is male and over thirty? What else makes him real?
Woman: Oh, ha, you really don't need to feel bad about this. [smiles, pads me on the back.]
Conversation is interrupted by some event person, I walk off:
[Turns out, the »real photographer« was a photo guy with party photo equipment and didn't even want to do anything else]
August 2008
1 post
“The job in Yemen is off. The client said you cannot go there as a woman. The...”
– Frank on the phone just now.
(via my other blog)
April 2008
3 posts
Email from Alex
If you turned up to a photo shoot I was some way involved in commissioning, I’d be like ‘holy fuck that’s Mareen motherfucking Fischinger’ And I’d say your first name as mah-reen just for the fun of it. Basically, it’s all relative. You take amazing photos and that’s all that counts, right? (Though it’s understandable being annoyed at such a...
Email from Sorin
You’re a male photographer! […] I like some of your photos, I dislike some of them. But judging is always a matter of taste and mood. What is constant in your work and I appreciate very much is your professionalism. Your professionalism is something that transcends genre, age or clients. […] I think this whole conversation about tagging people, about a gender capability to...
March 2008
17 posts
Mareen's new tumblr, Girl Photographer →
glynnis: Mareen chronicles her experiences with photographer stereotypes — mostly that people are surprised when she, a young female, shows up for a shoot as the photographer, when they are expecting someone much older and male. This is something I’m curious about, myself. Even if I were never to pursue photography professionally, any work I create is created in an environment that, true to...
At the shoot for a campaign
(Handshakes.)
Female client / facility management (ca.50): Hello, my name is A. Nice to meet you.
Mareen: Mareen Fischinger, hello.
Female agent: My name is C., from the agency P.
Mareen: These are Stefan, assistant, and Jenny, intern.
Stefan/Jenny: Hi.
(Some small-talking between agent and client, while Mareen instructs Stefan and Jenny with putting together certain pieces of equipment and makes a phone call.)
Mareen: Okay, I would suggest we go upstairs first?
Female client: Ermm, what is your job here by the way? Are you an intern, too?
(Everyone awkwardly looks at each other, noone laughs.)
Female client: Assistant?
Mareen: ... Who do you think was going to take the photos?
Email from Rociel
I know you pretty much since I got fast internet about 2 years ago, and I got to know you through your fotoblog. (Well, your pictures + your comments, but which were often no longer than 1-2 sentences. I like your tumblr now) I had pretty much no idea about photography or photographers; you gave me my first impression and thus make me compare other photographers to you. You could say, I’m...
Meeting talk.
Girl Photographer: My daily rate is at between xxx-xxxx depending on the usage. I could offer you xyz for all photos including editing and basic post-pro.
Client: Oh haha, wait! This is how much I had to pay last time I hired a real photographer to shoot! And this guy knew what he was doing...
Client: I don't want to offend you or your work, but you must understand. I will give you half of what you are asking.
(...)
Girl Photographer: I am not one of the cheap "conveyer belt standard shooters", people hire me because they actually like my work and want their product displayed in a certain way.
Client: Don't get me wrong, I do believe that you can take good pictures.
“This topic reminds me of the eighties tv-series “Remington Steele”....”
– elbflorenz reblogged Remington Steele wikipedia info
Email from Vinh
I want to assume that everyone who compares you to other photographers are men. These men are stereotyping you as a photographer. Maybe they think that women photographers only do still life or children’s portraits? I do believe that they’re intimidated by you. You’re accomplished and extremely talented. Also, you’re a woman working in a mostly male dominated profession, am...
Email from Jason
First let me say that I am a 36 year old male photographer. I would hope you do not get to upset over such ridiculous statements from ignorant people. I have been following your blog for a month or so now and believe you to be a wonderful photographer firmly standing in your own place. Sorry that you have had trouble with this (coming from the 35+ male group). For a long time men have had a...
Email from Marc, not translated because his...
Jeder Beruf ist als Klischeebild im kollektiven Gedächtnis verankert. Vor allem Medien wie das Fernsehen prägen diese Vorstellungen. Selbstverständlich ist jeder Anwalt reich, erfolgreich und arbeitet in einer global operierenden Kanzlei. Polizisten sind keine Beamte im Büro, sondern Draufgänger, die auch mal Gesetze biegen müssen um die Bösen zu schnappen. Und Fotografen haben alle mindestens...
Email from Rich
I’ve been a fan of your work for some time now. I would always check and browse your photoblog. I think you’re great! I’m glad that you are on tumblr now. I follow you on tumblr as savage.tumblr.com. Anyway, I don’t know what you are talking about with this comparison to “real” photographers. I think you are one of the best!
“People assume that young people or inexpensive products are somehow inferior to...”
– my friend Marco in an IM
Email from Robert (translated from German)
1. Humans tend to think in narrow-minded categories; this gives a feeling of safety and control. 2. Humans often try to place themselves in better light by running others down. 3. Envy. It motivates people to do the wildest things. 4. Dullness. Motivates to even weirder things. If this happens between some old ladies at an afternoon coffee-party: ok. If it happens in the job, that is very...
Email from Joram
Being in the graphic business I tend to deal a lot with photographers. Maybe I can give a little explanation to your question (I hope it makes sense though, because this is just my personal experience); Most photographers, especially product-photographers but some fashion photographers as well, are exactly what you wrote in your little post. 35+ and male. I have no idea why to be honest, but about...
“Because snobby antiquated classicists want to put their new comtemporaries into...”
– Constance, in New York. reblogged
Email from Chaely
I fear that we are still living in a world where people see a woman with talent and think “wow, she’s talented AND an estrogen crazed, emotional, hormonal female! That’s so impressive!” For whatever reason, people expect less from women & minorities and then expect to be handed humanitarian awards for admitting that you are some sort of exception to the rule for being...
“Cause being 25 and non-male with the name Mareen kind of sticks out in the...”
– one ukie’s world reblogged
“That sort of assessment comes from the antiquated notion that it takes decades...”
– molly.caitlin reblogged
I would like to know why people feel the need to...
Comparing not in the sense of style or something, but as a different demographic (like, 35+ and male).I have had several encounters where clients treated me like a child or thought I was the know-it-all intern of Mareen Fischinger. Email or reblog responses welcome. (originally posted at my personal tumblelog: Mareen)